Today in History

Today in History

Today is Tuesday, Feb. 9, the 40th day of 2021. There are 325 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Feb. 9, 1825, the House of Representatives elected John Quincy Adams president after no candidate received a majority of electoral votes.

On this date:

In 1870, the U.S. Weather Bureau was established.

In 1942, the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff held its first formal meeting to coordinate military strategy during World War II.

In 1943, the World War II battle of Guadalcanal in the southwest Pacific ended with an Allied victory over Japanese forces.

In 1950, in a speech in Wheeling, West Virginia, Sen. Joseph McCarthy, R-Wis., charged the State Department was riddled with Communists.

In 1960, Adolph Coors Co. chairman Adolph Coors III, 44, was shot to death in suburban Denver during a botched kidnapping attempt. (The man who killed him, Joseph Corbett, Jr., served 19 years in prison.)

In 1962, an agreement was signed to make Jamaica an independent nation within the British Commonwealth later in the year.

In 1964, the Beatles made their first live American television appearance on "The Ed Sullivan Show," broadcast from New York on CBS.

In 1971, a magnitude 6.6 earthquake in California's San Fernando Valley claimed 65 lives. The crew of Apollo 14 returned to Earth after man's third landing on the moon.

In 1984, Soviet leader Yuri V. Andropov, 69, died 15 months after succeeding Leonid Brezhnev; he was followed by Konstantin U. Chernenko.

In 1986, during its latest visit to the solar system, Halley's Comet came closest to the sun (its next return will be in 2061).

In 1995, Former Senator J. William Fulbright died in Washington at age 89.

In 2002, Britain's Princess Margaret, sister of Queen Elizabeth II, died in London at age 71.

Ten years ago: Thousands of workers went on strike across Egypt, adding a new dimension to the uprising as public rage turned to the vast wealth President Hosni Mubarak's family reportedly amassed while close to half the country struggled near the poverty line. Rep. Christopher Lee, R-N.Y., abruptly resigned with only a vague explanation of regret after gossip website Gawker reported that the married congressman had sent a shirtless photo of himself to a woman on Craigslist. Lindsay Lohan pleaded not guilty in Los Angeles to felony grand theft of a $2,500 necklace. (Lohan later pleaded no contest to taking the necklace without permission and served 35 days of house arrest.)

Five years ago: Republican Donald Trump posted a decisive victory in the New Hampshire primary, while Democrats lined up behind Bernie Sanders in their own act of anti-establishment defiance. President Barack Obama unveiled his eighth and final budget, a $4 trillion-plus proposal freighted with liberal policy initiatives and tax hikes. Two commuter trains crashed head-on in a remote area of southern Germany, killing 12 people and injuring dozens of others.

One year ago: U.S. officials said airline passengers from China, including those who'd been in China in the last 14 days, were being funneled to 11 airports to ensure that they received medical screening and treatment for the coronavirus. New coronavirus cases were reported in Japan, South Korea, Vietnam, Malaysia, the U.K. and Spain. "Parasite," from South Korea, won the best picture Oscar, becoming the first foreign-language film to take home the biggest honor in film.

Today's Birthdays: Retired television journalist Roger Mudd is 93. Actor Janet Suzman is 82. Nobel Prize-winning author J.M. Coetzee is 81. Actor-politician Sheila James Kuehl (TV: "The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis") is 80. Singer-songwriter Carole King is 79. Actor Joe Pesci is 78. Singer Barbara Lewis is 78. Author Alice Walker is 77. Actor Mia Farrow is 76. Former Sen. Jim Webb, D-Va., is 75. Singer Joe Ely is 74. Actor Judith Light is 72. R&B musician Dennis "DT" Thomas (Kool & the Gang) is 70. Actor Charles Shaughnessy is 66. Actor Ed Amatrudo is 65. Former Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe is 64. Jazz musician Steve Wilson is 60. Country singer Travis Tritt is 58. Actor Julie Warner is 56. Country singer Danni Leigh is 51. Actor Sharon Case is 50. Actor Jason George is 49. Actor Amber Valletta is 47. Actor-producer Charlie Day is 45. Rock singer Chad Wolf (Carolina Liar) is 45. Actor A.J. Buckley is 44. Rock musician Richard On (O.A.R.) is 42. Actor Ziyi Zhang is 42. Olympic silver and bronze medal figure skater Irina Slutskaya is 42. Actor Tom Hiddleston is 40. Actor David Gallagher is 36. Actor Michael B. Jordan is 34. Actor Rose Leslie is 34. Actor Marina Malota is 33. Actor Camille Winbush is 31. Actor Jimmy Bennett is 25. Actor Evan Roe (TV: "Madam Secretary") is 21.